-
Weak in Comparison to Dreams
"Weak in Comparison to Dreams... is the most courageous and fascinating debut I have read since Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves." -Full Stop Magazine
For years, Samuel Emmer has monitored bacteria levels in drinking water for the small city of Guelph.
He is content to focus on dangerous life-threatening single-celled organisms as his grasp on his own life recedes--and with it, family and friends. To be sure, it is more than a little surprising when Samuel learns that he has been appointed to the city's Zoo Feasibility Committee. Even more so, that he is being tasked with interacting not just with animals, but human beings. His assignment: travel to zoos around the world and gather information on the stereotypical behavior of animals in their enclosures--the city of Guelph aspiring commendably, if naively, to a cruelty-free habitat for its animals. It is in Tallinn, Estonia, that the dreams start for Samuel. He is in a vast wooded landscape; there is a fire burning in the distance; and it is coming his way...
Weak in Comparison to Dreams, by the historian and art critic James Elkins, is like no other novel you have ever read, even as certain inspirations, from Sebald to Tokarczuk, are clear. With an astounding breadth of knowledge and playful courage, Weak in Comparison to Dreams reignites our love for the ambitious novel with experimentation that never lacks intention, and whose empathetic scope explores the deepest aspects of our individual humanity.
-
For Human Use
An unforgettable debut, For Human Use is a twisted tale of modern love that bends every genre, sears itself into your brain, and presents a horrific romantic comedy unlike anything you've ever read before. ★ "An utterly ingenious horror-romcom, darkly zeitgeisty, and unnervingly plausible--funny as hell, too. You will not forget this book." ―Heather Aimee O'Neill, author of Read With Jenna book club pick The Irish Goodbye Modern dating is dead. Finding a human connection online has become impossible. Enter Liv: a dating app that matches people with dead bodies. Somehow, it has taken the world by storm. Millions of users are convinced that life with a corpse presents a better alternative to conventional relationships. Flailing against Liv's popularity, venture capital superstar Tom Williamson--whose company is funding Liv--isn't buying it. Mostly because dating an embalmed cadaver, let alone monetizing it, is obscene. Believing that Liv is the future, Auden White, the insufferable "visionary" behind the app begins demanding more and more funding, quickly making enemies with Tom. It's no secret that Tom struggles with people, dead or alive, but when he has a chance meeting with the woman who knows Auden (and his secrets) best, Mara Reed, he realizes everything is about to change for all three of them. With Liv's userbase growing by the day, the need for cadavers rapidly increases. Humanity might not want to connect with other living, breathing people anymore, but they do want to connect with something. What could go wrong? ★ "A wildly entertaining debut. Sarah G. Pierce cleverly skewers our modern era of disconnection and corporate overreach. But amid the horror and humor there is a deeply human love story at the heart of this book." ―E.K Sathue, author of Youthjuice ★ "A razor-sharp satire of venture capitalism, online influence culture, and The Discourse, Pierce holds a mirror to an all-too familiar reality where the unthinkable becomes thinkable if there's profit to be made and prestige to be gained. A human romance in a world gasping for human connection, this one goes places!" ―Bitter Karella, author of Moonflow -
Winter Witch
Two sisters set sail on a bride ship from Normandy hoping to leave a curse behind them and find better lives in the wilds of 17th-century Quebec, only to meet a mysterious witch who forces them to confront the truth about magic--and their past. For fans of Emilia Hart, Sarah Penner, Alix E. Harrow, Ami McKay, and Roberta Rich.Élisabeth Jossard boards a bride ship to New France with her sister Marthe, forced to start a new life after a scandal in her village in Normandy. She's harbouring a dark secret and hopes that by coming to Montreal--the holiest place in the world, she's been told--the saints will hear her pleas and lift the curse that plagues her. When Élisabeth's prayers go unanswered and she is unable to banish the spirit she believes is tormenting her, Marthe encourages her to turn to a powerful witch for help, the enigmatic stowaway Jeanne Roy. But Jeanne has secrets of her own, and when she refuses to help, Élisabeth's resentment kindles a dangerous fire. Inspired by the tales of Canada's Filles du Roi, The Winter Witch examines how lies, arrogance, and ignorance can lead to witch hunts in any society. -
Beauty and the Demon: Deluxe Limited Edition
New York Times bestselling author Aurora Ascher's hilarious and hot blend of spicy demon romance and cozy fantasy featuring a half-mad demon with questionable morals, a goth witch who kicks ass and takes names, and a magical library in a castle in Hell. Perfect for fans of Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Brynne Weaver, Jenna Levine, and Kimberly Lemming. DELUXE LIMITED EDITION featuring stenciled edges, designed chapter headers and inside covers, series spine design and bonus content! Only available for a limited time and while supplies last. A villain always has a plan . . . but she's a complication he never saw coming. Murmur, the nefarious Necromancer, is losing his mind. His army of souls screams in his head, and his dreams are filled with bone-chilling visions of his approaching death. To save himself, he will unleash a torrent of destruction unlike anything Hell has seen before . . . But for his plot to succeed, he requires one final ingredient: the blood of a certain headstrong witch. This witch can rescue herself . . . Suyin, leader of the Montreal coven, hides her dread beneath a tough exterior. Unusual abilities she can't explain are taking over her life, and she's haunted by ominous dreams. Her fears are realized when she's captured by a demon with bloodshot eyes. Murmur plans to leave her in his dungeon, but Suyin has no intention of making this easy for him. Bargaining with demons is dangerous business, but she'll do anything to survive. Enemies may become lovers, but fate has other plans. Forced into close proximity, things begin to shift between Suyin and her captor. But as the Necromancer's machinations reach a pinnacle, he is faced with an impossible choice: achieve his master plan, or free the woman who resurrected his dormant soul. -
Guided Metaphysical Box Set: Three Beginner's Guides to Tarot, Astrology, and Numerology (Including Step-By-Step Workbooks)
A transformational trio of spiritual guides for self-discovery and wisdom through tarot, astrology, and numerology Explore your inner world and unlock powerful insights with this beautifully packaged box set of beginner-friendly guides to tarot, astrology, and numerology. Whether you're just starting your spiritual journey or deepening your practice, this set blends practical tools with timeless wisdom to help you better understand yourself, improve your relationships, and connect with your higher self. Each guide offers its own powerful path to self-discovery, but together they create a deeper, more complete spiritual toolkit. Thoughtfully designed and packed with value, this set also makes a meaningful gift for anyone seeking clarity, growth, and connection.- Guided Tarot: A Beginner's Guide to Card Meanings, Spreads, and Intuitive Exercises for Seamless Readings A best-seller for a reason, this guide helps you build confidence in your readings with illustrated card profiles, step-by-step spreads, and exercises to strengthen your intuition.
- Guided Numerology Workbook: A Beginner's Guide to Understand Yourself and Unleash Your Potential through Your Numbers Discover the wisdom of numbers with easy steps to use your birthday and full birth name to explore key numbers like your Life Path, Expression, and Inner Soul--plus reflection prompts to apply what you learn.
- Guided Astrology Workbook: A Step-by-Step Guide for Deep Insight into Your Astrological Signs, Birth Chart, and Life Learn to interpret your birth chart with guided exercises and questions that reveal how your zodiac signs shape your strengths, patterns, and purpose.
- More insight for less: This complete set gives you three powerful guides for far less than the cost of buying them individually--offering incredible value for anyone on a path of spiritual growth.
- A gift with meaning: Beautifully designed and easy to use, this box set makes a thoughtful and inspiring gift for birthdays, holidays, or any occasion that calls for self-reflection and empowerment.
-
Reflections of a Military Psychiatrist
Much has been written about military mental health, but nothing has done the issue justice. Accounts from those on the inside of the system are missing.
Reflections of a Military Psychiatrist is a deep dive into the world of military mental health. The book provides a rare, powerful account from the perspective of a career military psychiatrist who served across multiple branches, including the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Veterans Affairs. It offers an account of serving as a military mental health provider at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth from 2019 to 2022, including the events leading up to and surrounding the USS George Washington and Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center suicide clusters. Marietta examines the inspector general suicide cluster reports from the perspective of a military mental health provider.
Reflections of a Military Psychiatrist discusses common military mental health issues and the impact they have on service members and the organization. Marietta describes similar toxic maltreatment his patients faced and his efforts to obtain justice. Firsthand accounts, stories of recovery from veterans, lessons learned, and practical recommendations for reform are discussed, including strategies to establish a safe channel for those afflicted, reducing stigma and negative consequences for getting help.
-
Sweetbitter Song
Perfect for fans of The Song of Achilles and from the award-winning author of The Witch of Colchis comes a profoundly moving story of two women on the shores of Ithaca, in the shadows of a legendary war, who must face their own battle - one of sisterhood, survival, and a forbidden love that could destroy them both.
One summer night, within the palace of Sparta, a young slave girl stumbles across a grey-eyed princess. Despite living worlds apart, Melantho and Penelope are instantly drawn to one another, and a powerful friendship blossoms. But the Spartan royals do not approve of this bond, and soon Melantho and Penelope find themselves viciously torn apart, their trust irreparably shattered.
Years later, their paths cross once again upon the rocky shores of Ithaca, where Melantho is sent to serve Princess Penelope and her new husband, Prince Odysseus. Embittered by life as a slave, Melantho is determined to keep her distance. But, once again, the two women find themselves drawn to one other, pulled by the echo of their friendship, and something far stronger they are too afraid to name.
When war blazes across Greece, Odysseus and the men of Ithaca are driven to foreign lands. In their absence, Melantho finds a new world opening up before her - one where women rule, where family can be found, and where a forbidden love is finally given the space to bloom.
A profound tale of love, identity and defiance, Sweetbitter Song tells a story forgotten by history. One of bravery and hope, celebrating two women who fought to protect their love from a world that tried to deny its very existence.
-
Art of Burning Heather
"A compassionate and hilarious must-read. Donalson's trademark wit shines."--Jeneva Rose, #1 New York Times bestselling author
A daughter's escape to the Scottish Highlands becomes a mother's reckoning, a sister's choice, and a grandmother's last chance in this witty, bittersweet novel about first loves, old ghosts, and the courage it takes to change.
When floral designer Deli MacDonald's heart is broken by unrequited love and her best friend's abandonment, she flees to the Scottish Highlands and her estranged aunt Mo's cliffside cottage by the sea. There, embraced by a village of eccentric locals and her aunt's unconditional, unfamiliar love, she finds herself drawn to brooding pub owner Lachlan Scott--whose path once crossed hers twenty years ago on these same heather-strewn hills.
As Deli fights to find her footing in the Highland soil among the wreckage of her life, she wakes family ghosts and accidentally reopens a decades-old rift. And when her mother and grandmother arrive unexpectedly, three generations of women must finally confront the painful patterns of love, lies, and grief that once drove them apart.
Through a tapestry of wildflowers, family secrets, and fierce hearts, Deli must reckon with the truth of how she learned to be loved. But choosing between the familiar ache of her old life and the uncertain promise of a new one means finding the courage to let her family's legacy, and the world she built, burn away completely.
-
Her First Lie: A Thriller
In this chilling prequel to The Perfect Child, USA Today bestselling author Lucinda Berry plunges readers into the dark origins of a family's secrets, where good intentions pave the road to unspeakable acts and a mother's love might be the deadliest inheritance of all.
Becky Watson learned early that trust is a weapon and secrets are survival. From foster homes to abandoned backroads, she and her childhood confidant Orion have buried more than just memories. Now, as a college freshman, Becky's harboring her most dangerous secret yet: her newborn daughter, Janie.
Desperation drives Becky to contact her estranged grandmother, Lillian. She swoops in like a guardian angel, but her salvation comes with a poisoned price tag. Behind Lillian's nurturing facade lurks a web of generational secrets. As buried truths claw their way to the surface, Becky faces an impossible choice: sacrifice her daughter or herself to break a twisted family legacy.
-
Two Left Feet
A Premier League football star must defend his roster spot--and his heart--when a threateningly talented and handsome midfielder joins his team in this utterly charming debut romance, a profound love letter to the world's most popular sport. Oliver Harris is football royalty in London. Ordinarily the star of the Camden Roses is calm, cool, and collected, keeping his club relevant with his prowess in the midfield and his mighty left foot. But this season, the threats abound: There's Camden's management to contend with--complete with a prickly new Dutch coach, eager for better results--and a midseason injury, which sidelines him when his team needs him most. When a recruit is called up to fill in, Oliver fears he'll be replaced. If he can mentor this younger talent, then they might just have a chance at winning, together. After a string of lackluster performances in his native Spain, Leonardo Davies-Villanueva is looking for one last shot with the club he always dreamed of, where he once played in the youth academy. Oliver immediately finds confident, eager Leo irritating. He can barely go through the motions, let alone coach him, without outright hostility. When he comes to admire Leo's skill and warms to his humor and energy, though, he begins to see Leo as a friend--and then, to his mounting horror, as something more. Leo craves Oliver's attention and partnership; Oliver can't afford to fall in love with his teammate. He's always kept a tight lid on his sexuality in a league that's never had a player come out. As the season heats up, a lot more than football hangs in the balance. Can Oliver--and Leo--win when it counts most? "An exuberant heart-squeeze of a book . . . Two Left Feet is the kind of joyful, hopeful story the romance genre was made for."--Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of What Happens in Amsterdam -
Love Lies
USA Today bestselling author Cynthia St. Aubin is back for Love Lies, the third book in her unforgettable supernatural mystery series!
It's bad enough that the world's most powerful vampires are following gallery assistant Hanna Harvey like a cloud of undead mosquitos. But finding one of their heads in the trunk of her Mustang? There's not enough cheese in the world to unsee that. Her stud-muffin alpha werewolf boss, Mark Abernathy, suspects that someone stashing vampy bits in Hanna's immediate vicinity is part of a plot to set off an inter-species war...with Hanna's own destiny at its heart. Getting to the bottom of Hanna's headless guests will mean fending off the dogged investigation of Detective James Morrison--now suspended from the force and hell-bent on exposing the secrets that could not only destroy Abernathy, but everyone he's sworn to protect. Now facing a force older and more sinister than any she's encountered, the stakes have never been higher for Hanna, who must finally decide to ascend to her rightful place in the pack, or risk losing everything--and everyone--she loves. -
Love Binds
Hannah Harvey returns in Love Binds, the fourth installment in the hilarious and steamy Tails from the Alpha Art Gallery series by USA Today bestselling author Cynthia St. Aubin!
For Hanna Harvey, happily ever is just the beginning...of a hot mess. Now mated to darkly dangerous but irresistibly seductive werewolf, Mark Abernathy, she's finding that life isn't the endless cheese and whisky fueled boinkfest she'd imagined it to be. Plagued by terrifying nightmares of a mysterious entity bent on her destruction and drowning in her new responsibilities as the alpha female of the werewolf world, she's begun to doubt that she really is the heir. And she isn't the only one. When certain werewolf factions refuse to acknowledge Hanna's rule, what begins as a clan rivalry threatens to erupt into the first shifter war in centuries. Which is like, the worst. As is the return of Hanna's former flame and neophyte vampire, Detective James Morrison. Bitter and out for blood (literally), he's made it his business to exact his vengeance on all non-humans...Hanna included. Hoping to stave off the shifter Apocalypse, Hanna and Abernathy travel to The Gathering, where a mysterious figure from Abernathy's past reveals a closely guarded secret with the power to break not only her heart, but their sworn bond as mates. With the fate of the werewolf world resting squarely on her bony shoulders, Hanna must now decide to trust the wildness within, or abandon the shifter world forever. -
Every One Still Here: Stories
A searching, incisive, and profound debut collection of stories about people--mothers, fathers, sons, strangers, sisters--living in the aftermath of violence.
A young man studying anatomy looks at a cadaver. Flowers are found, left in bouquets, all over a museum. A mother dies, leaving a stain on the carpet: whether or not anyone acknowledges it, they know it's there. The searching and clear-eyed stories in Every One Still Here are set in Ireland under British occupation, a place where the past, grief, and guilt thrum behind every surface and refuse to stay buried. Liadan Ní Chuinn is a debut writer of uncommon power, clarity, and precision, whose characters in Every One Still Here stay lodged within us long after we leave them.
What good is it to know what things are, what lies beneath the appearance of them? It is nothing until it is stated. It is nothing if it is not named. It is just blood, like you have never seen before. -
Like in Love with You
Mean Girls meets Northanger Abbey in this sharp and sexy Regency Romance that begs the question: what if Cady and Regina just... kissed?
When Catherine Pine relocates to Bath in 1817, she comes face-to-face with her mother's arch nemesis and her daughter--the wildly popular Lady Rosalie. Twenty-five years after a horrible betrayal, Catherine's mother sees the perfect opportunity for revenge: Catherine must win the favor of Lady Rosalie's suitor and unofficial betrothed, the most eligible Mr. Dean.
Only Catherine soon discovers that Lady Rosalie is by far the wittiest, cleverest, most intriguing young woman Catherine's ever met, and she's instantly smitten. Which is a problem.
Meanwhile, Lady Rosalie feels trapped in her relationship with Mr. Dean and in her role as Bath's resident mean girl. But when she notices newcomer Catherine gunning for her spot as queen bee, Rosalie finally feels a spark again-something she absolutely doesn't want to extinguish.
As Rosalie and Catherine circle Mr. Dean, and their mothers force them into increasingly absurd contests of wit and feminine charms, the two women somehow find themselves falling for each other, scheme, by barb, by catty jab...
Is it possible that their sizzling rivalry can become a match to last?
-
Playing for Keeps
Lambda Literary Award winner and national bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur returns with a steamy Sapphic rom-com about two rival publicists who are forced to work together when their mega-famous clients--a popstar and a quarterback--begin to date.
Poppy Peterson's life is finally back on track and she's thriving as the publicist of the NFL's most promising quarterback (and her childhood best friend), Cash Curran. So, she doesn't appreciate when he makes an impulsive and public pass at America's popstar darling, Lyric Adair. When Lyric's notorious publicist Rosaline Sinclair reaches out, Poppy is ready to face her wrath, but instead learns that Lyric is equally interested.
As Cash and Lyric embark on their ill-advised whirlwind romance, Poppy and Rosaline are forced together, each determined to protect their own client from the other. Poppy is frustrated by Rosaline's cool demeanor, while at the same time, as a legend in the industry, she's determined to impress her. But, no matter what she does, she can't shake the feeling that Rosaline doesn't like her.
That is until one steamy night, when the two women contend with their unexpected feelings and begin a messy romance of their own. But with paparazzi, tabloids, and stalker fans nipping at their heels, Poppy and Rosaline's loyalties will be tested in ways they could never expect.
A high energy, Sapphic, and deeply sexy romance, Playing for Keeps has everything readers expect from Alexandria Bellefleur and more!
Tropes:
- workplace romanceforced proximitysecret relationshipfound familyhurt/comfort